Patient Advice and Liaison Service and Complaints

My Care Record

We have a new approach in Bucks to sharing patient records between clinicians and other professionals who may provide your care.

My Care Record is a system that allows medical and social care professionals to access your up-to-date GP records so they can make the right choices about the care and medical attention you need. We already share records but often via less secure and less efficient routes such as telephone and fax.

We know from surveys and other feedback from the public that they want health and social care professionals to be better connected and share information, so people don’t have to keep repeating information. My Care Record will mean that health and social care professionals will have instant access to this up-to-date information.

The benefits of My Care Record

We know people understand the importance of health and social care professionals having access to basic information about patients and the people they care for. This is especially important when care is urgent or required during evenings and weekends. The information in My Care Record will save time and could also be life-saving in some circumstances.

Without My Care Record people need to wait for information to be sent from GPs during surgery hours, which could cause delay in providing treatment, care or medication.

The benefits for you

My Care Record is intended to make your health and social care safer and more efficient.

Clinicians will be able to make a more informed decision meaning you should get the most appropriate treatment at the right time.

For instance, hospital based staff will be able to access previous diagnoses, allergies, problems, medications you are already on and any tests you have already undergone.

If you need care support it will allow social care professionals to make more informed judgements about the care you need. This will speed up their decisions and allow quicker responses from them.

For instance occupational therapists will be able to respond more quickly to your needs as they won’t need to wait for verification of medical conditions to support their recommendations like housing adaptations.

Sharing this crucial information will help health and social care staff to work more closely together, which should mean there is a much smoother experience for people who need both health and social care services.

How My Care Record works

Only health and social care professionals working in Bucks and the immediate surrounding areas can access My Care Record. This means that they have access to the most up to date information.

We will not make or keep any copies of the record created once the enquiry is complete. Only approved staff can log on to My Care Record. As the patient you will be asked for your permission for the record to be viewed and all access is logged so we can track precisely who has accessed the record and for what purpose.

At the moment My Care Record is accessed by:

Out of hours GP services

In future other teams will be able to access My Care Record, including:

Staff working for Bucks Healthcare, including Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe Hospitals.

Bucks County Council adult social care teams including:

Occupational therapy

Out of hours crisis team

Discharge team

Community resource team

Re-enablement team.

If you do not want to participate

You can opt out of My Care Record at any time. There is an opt out form to complete or you can pick up a form from your GP practice. If you have opted out, health and social care professionals will continue to provide you with the safest and most efficient care possible.

Information included in My Care Record

What medications you are taking, especially important if they are many and complex

Any allergies or details of any medication that hasn’t agreed with you in the past

A health condition that means you shouldn’t have certain medicines

Any factors which need to be considered before discharging you from hospital.

Further information

We have put together a list of My Care Record FAQs to help you understand a bit more about My Care Record.

You can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), Healthwatch Bucks, or your GP practice for more information.